GOODBYE SEAFOAM GREEN SWEATER

 My old blog buddy UF Mike hasn't been posting much lately, but he does do some music reviews at a DC rag, THE VINYL DISTRICT.
Today he did one on Elton John. Its worth a read, done in Mike's old unmistakable style, and it brought back memories for me. Click here to check it out.

I was 17 in 1974, and I had this job as a busboy at a posh restaurant at the local Ramada Inn. They had a swinging combo going on weekends, two brothers each playing piano, and chick singer, just like in the Fabulous Baker Brothers.  Only these guys were like 70 and 72 years old respectively, and they did Perry Como songs, and a great rendition of "Come Fly With Me". Standard hotel bar cocktail music ya know? And all these old fogeys, drunk on Mateus wine and full of well done prime rib would hit the dance floor after dinner.
I remember there was one old guy who was a really good dancer, but his partner, who looked to be about 90 years old and recently deceased, just sort of hung limply in his arms, and he swished her around the dance floor, her feet dragging the whole way. I remember watching this, and thinking that old codger must be a lot stronger than he looks.
But the high point of the evening was when they played "Benny and the Jets" on two piano's.
Man, that guy could really go, and his partners feet would fly up every time he did a tun, and her one arm he didnt have a hold of would wave out to the crowd. it was fantastic!

My friend Brad was a huge EJ fan. We would cruise the loop in his Ford Pinto with the Quad turned all the way up, and during "Funeral For A Dead Friend" Brad would reach over into the glove box, pull out a huge pair of sparkly sungalsses, and play keyboard on the dashboard with his eyes closed, blissful, while we begged him to put his hands back on the steering wheel and drive before the song came true for all of us.

 Brads mother had knitted him a sweater for Christmas that year  with a big "EJ" initialed on the front.  Brad waited in anticipation for this sweater and opened it Christmas morning. The colors were Seafoam Green and a kind of pastel Canary Yellow  for the big "EJ", and none of us really knew what gay was in 1974 , but one look at that sweater and we knew that what ever it was, that sweater was it. 

He only wore it twice.